A New Best Friend
by Mayuka
Summary: Vash and Melanie have been traveling together since they met under strange circumstances; they encounter trouble together, but at least they have each other, not to mention Meryl and Milly... Unfinished.
1. Chased in a Bar

A New Best Friend Chapter 1: Chased in a Bar  
  
AN: I'm not going to explain how Vash and Melanie met, just yet; just know that they met a while ago and have been traveling together ever since. I'll explain the rest later. You'll see. Please review!  
  
  
  
"When are we gonna get to June?" Melanie turned to ask Vash. Her bright red hair was tied into two long braids reaching past her waist. She was wearing rather large glasses at the moment that Vash had no idea how she could see out of. They were more of a white shade than a clear one, and she didn't have any eyesight problems anyway; she had told Vash that they simply looked good.  
  
Oh course, Vash wasn't listening. He rarely did when it was this hot. True, he had lived on this desert planet for ages now and was used to the heat, but it was exceptionally bad this particular day.  
  
"Vash! Are you listening?" She was about to whack him with the biggest thing she could find, as she did quite often, but stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed a bar directly in front of them, about a mile or two away.  
  
She grabbed Vash's hand and pulled him along towards it.  
  
"Oh wow! SHADE!" Vash cried, suddenly becoming aware of where he was.  
  
"No duh," Melanie sighed. Vash pulled off his yellow-tinted glasses and smiled a bright smile. Melanie loved his smile. Actually, she envied it. He was always so carefree when things were tough. At least on the outside.  
  
Once they had reached the bar, they realized that it had doubled over as a motel too.  
  
"Our luck is finally changing!" Melanie cried happily. Vash nodded. He looked around quickly and noticed that two girls were staring at them. He didn't think much of it. Many people were staring, but no one had ever dared attack him for the $$60 billion reward.  
  
Melanie looked around too.  
  
"There's no more vacant tables!" she cried.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Maybe we can ask someone to share one with us," he pointed to the girls who were staring, "ask them. It's a four-people table. I'll go and get us something to drink." Melanie sighed and walked over to them.  
  
"Hello there. My name is Melanie Hayatsu. Would you mind if my friend and I shared a table with you?" she motioned their eyes over to Vash, who was now laughing like a lunatic over something unknown with the bartender. The two girls' eyes widened but nodded.  
  
"I'm Meryl Stryfe, and this is my partner, Milly Thompson," she said, smiling.  
  
"How come you two are out here in the middle of nowhere?" Melanie asked, taking a seat at the table.  
  
"We work for the Bernardelli Insurance Society. We're here investigating a case with Vash the Stamp-" Meryl covered Milly's mouth with her hand.  
  
"You can just blurt out things like that. It's rather secret, Milly!" she scolded.  
  
"I'm good at keeping secrets. So, you're investigating Vash the Stampede's whereabouts?" she said, loud enough for Vash to hear. He turned around and headed over to the table. Many of the diners in the room were looking now. Meryl slapped her hand to her forehead.  
  
"I'm sorry. I guess I was just a little loud." Vash was standing by the table now with four banana shakes.  
  
"Hello!" she said cheerfully.  
  
"Meryl, Milly, this is my friend Vash," Melanie said quickly, before Vash sat down.  
  
"WHAT? What the hell are you talking about?!" Meryl cried.  
  
"Not the legendary Vash the Stampede, of course!" Vash added before Meryl could say any more. "I just happen to have the same name as the guy, that's all."  
  
Meryl sighed.  
  
"Well, would you happen to know where the legendary Vash was last seen?" Milly asked. "It would really help us out."  
  
"Don't tell me you two are headed after the $$60 billion reward!?" Vash inquired.  
  
"Of course not. We work for an insurance company. They were so many incidents involving that Vash. It's a huge liability for any insurance company. We have to find Vash and keep him under 24-hour surveillance. It's the only way our company can handle all the payments we owe to citizens," Meryl explained. Vash had turned a bright shade of pink.  
  
"24-hours." he kept repeating. Meryl and Milly stared. Melanie elbowed him in the stomach and he stopped.  
  
"I think he was last seen in June," Melanie lied. "That's where we're headed, so maybe you can come along, too." Meryl seemed to ponder this.  
  
"Alright. We can leave in the morning," Milly said before Meryl could say anything else. They must have already had a room, because they headed straight upstairs.  
  
Vash and Melanie nodded quickly before heading up to the bartender.  
  
"Can we have a room for the night?" Vash asked.  
  
"I'm sorry, but we don't give out rooms to criminals," the bartender said coldly, pulling out a gun. Melanie's eyes widened, but Vash looked the same.  
  
"Weren't you the one I was just joking with earlier?" he asked, his eyes burning into the bartender's.  
  
"I'm sorry, but we could really use that money."  
  
"I see." Vash reached down his hand to pull out his own gun. "I have no choice, then."  
  
"Vash, no. Let's just leave," Melanie pleaded.  
  
"We won't let you." Several people behind them pulled out guns as well and pointed them at Vash.  
  
"People never learn," Melanie sighed.  
  
"Neither do we," Vash smiled at her, "we always get caught in these types of situations." He pulled out his gun and held it up to the bartender's head.  
  
"Just give up, Vash the Stampede! If you shoot, we won't hesitate at all. The bounty says 'dead or alive'!"  
  
Vash shot the gun before they could say anything else.  
  
"What the hell, Vash!?" The bullets were flying. Vash grabbed Melanie and put her under his arm and starting running out of the door.  
  
"Why did you shoot him?" she yelled. Vash merely shrugged. "It was the only way we could get out alive." He grinned.  
  
"It's not funny! The guy looked as though he was paralyzed, or dead!" Vash put Melanie down after they had stopped running. He pulled out his gun and handed it to her with a smile on his face.  
  
"You can shoot me if you want." Melanie stared at him.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Go ahead!" Melanie put her finger on the trigger.  
  
"You're really gonna shoot me aren't you!?" Vash cried.  
  
"How could you shoot that poor man? You said you hated blood and violence! How could you?"  
  
"SHOOT ME ALREADY!"  
  
"FINE!" Melanie pulled the trigger hastily. Vash was on the ground.  
  
"Oh my God! Vash, are you alright?" she cried, kneeling down next to him. Vash stood up.  
  
"Now I know what you'll do if you get angry enough," he smiled and pulled the bullet off the ground. He handed it to her. Melanie was in shock.  
  
"It's rubber! You bastard!" She punched him in the stomach a few times.  
  
"We might as well head out to June," Vash suggested.  
  
"Yeah, but I really wanted to talk to those insurance girls. It was fun talking to them. Especially when they thought you were Vash the Stampede."  
  
"Well, it wasn't exactly a lie," Vash grinned.  
  
~The Next Morning~  
  
"I guess they already left," Meryl said, trudging down the steps. "Oh well. Maybe we'll meet up with them in June."  
  
"I thought that Mr. Vash really did look like Vash the Stampede. Or at least what he was supposed to look like," Milly commented. Meryl agreed.  
  
"Actually he did, you're right. Blonde hair, red coat, really tall. And he was traveling with a red head, like he was supposed to. But that guy was a little too friendly, and well, stupid to be him," Meryl muttered. "Let's just go. Melanie said he was last seen in June."  
  
AN: HEY! What'd you think? This chapter was rather long, but I had to explain a lot. And don't worry, it won't be exactly like the TV series. And I might include Knives in this version. Also, Melanie's past and how she met Vash will be revealed. So, please review! 


	2. Dreams can Predict the Future, or Tell t...

A New Best Friend Chapter 2: Dreams can Predict the Future, or Tell the Past  
  
AN: As I write this, I think 'hmmm. how can I incorporate a certain ruthless, psychopathic brother with ideals of creating mass destruction and bringing it upon the human race in to my fic?' Well, you'll just have to wait till later chapters to find out! BWAHAHAHAHA! I just had to tease you.  
  
Anyway, Please review. It shouldn't be much longer.  
  
  
  
"We're almost to June. Thank goodness. I was getting exhausted. To think what these poor animals must be going through. I'm surprised they ever survive!" Melanie went on and on about the animals on the desert planet. Vash smiled and looked up at the evening sky.  
  
"She really is just like you." Melanie stopped talking at Vash's words.  
  
"Like who? Are you talking to yourself again? You know, that's not unhealthy, actually." Vash put his hand over her mouth. Melanie tried to continue talking, but Vash's hold over her mouth kept her from doing so.  
  
"She's just a little too talkative." He smiled up at the dark clouds.  
  
Since she couldn't talk, Melanie pointed in the direction that they were headed in. Vash looked in the direction of her finger to see a small sign yielding the words "June Town, 5 iles".  
  
"Finally! We can get some food there! And maybe even donuts!" Vash cried happily.  
  
"Sure. And we can get some sleep too. It's almost midnight. No wonder I'm so tired." Vash sighed.  
  
"She was always that way," he said aloud, though the speech was directed to himself. Melanie blinked.  
  
"Who is she? Is it someone from your past?" Vash had never told her anything about his past, not even about his "family". The only thing she knew for sure was that he was the real Vash the Stampede. He had never said anything about Rem or Knives, or what he truly was. Everytime Melanie asked, he would say it wasn't anything to worry about. Which is exactly what he told her this time. Melanie sighed.  
  
"I wish you weren't so secretive about things. You know you can tell me anything." She smiled weakly.  
  
Every time he brought it up he just wouldn't discuss it. It would only make her more curious, and Vash knew this, but sometimes the subject popped up when he least expected it. And he knew she wasn't ready to know about his past. Or her own.  
  
"I know." After those last few words they both continued on silently until the arrived at June Town. They found an inn that at least looked nice, and took a two bed, single room.  
  
Most would think Vash would be rather lustful like this, what with sharing a room with only one female, but he never acted that way around Melane. He cared for her deeply, and their relationship seemed to go deeper than friendship even. Sometimes Vash wondered himself if they could ever truly be friends, or if they really were more.  
  
Melanie had headed straight for the shower in the bathroom, and Vash headed straight for his bed. He changed quickly, in fear of Melanie coming out of the bathroom too quickly and seeing he, well, less than decent.  
  
He changed into a simple blue pajamas set that covered his arms and legs well, and sat in bed. He turned out the light however. He always did this, and stayed up until Melanie went to bed. He wanted to make sure that she was safe before relaxing. He was well aware of the few people who knew that he was the actual Vash the Stampede, and taking a female hostage was a good way to get to him. His only true family member knew of that better than anybody.  
  
*  
  
Melanie waded in the bathtub and then sat down quickly. The immediate feel of the water made her shiver, but then eased herself in until she was leisurely sitting. She had wrapped her hair in a warm, blue towel and closed her eyes in relaxation.  
  
When she was finished in the bathtub, she stood up and toweled off. The room was shrouded in mist from her hot bath and she exited the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around her medium sized body.  
  
As soon as she stepped out, she noticed that the lights were out. Vash must have been asleep.  
  
She turned on the small bedside lamp and looked around at him quickly.  
  
"SURPRISE!" Vash cried loudly. Melanie had the urge to scream, not because she wasn't dressed, but because he had scared her. She didn't however.  
  
"Don't ever do THAT AGAIN!" she shouted.  
  
"Sorry!" Vash grinned and laid down on his stomach on his bed. Melanie reached into her bag and pulled out her pink and white striped pajamas. Melanie's eyes then turned to Vash again. They widened and closed quickly in frustration. Vash closed his eyes and turned around so that she could change.  
  
Once she was in her bed, she turned out the light and whispered "Good night, Vash."  
  
*  
  
Melanie was standing in a field, in her pajamas, I might add watching a group of people. The field looked a lot about what she'd heard the last human planet had looked like.  
  
The group consisted of two boys, a girl, and an adult female. They were standing by a flowered shrub.  
  
"What is this?" Melanie asked. The people obviously couldn't see her or they would have turned around. It was then that Melanie decided that this was a dream.  
  
The people all started chattering at once.  
  
One of the boys seemed particularly interested with a spider's web. Melanie started out a bit closer to him and then she realized that it was a butterfly caught in the web. It seemed as though her were trying to free it. The spider was getting closer to its meal.  
  
The other boy noticed what he was doing and watched. Then, without warning, the second boy snatched the spider from its web and smashed it in its hand. Melanie stared horrified at the boy. He did it so quickly and suddenly, that she had fallen back into the grass.  
  
The first boy stared at his friend, as well; he seemed just terrified as Melanie was.  
  
The younger female child was crying now, and the adult woman picked her up.  
  
The second child didn't seem to know what he had done wrong.  
  
"What?" he smiled, obviously trying to be friendly, but something seemed a little sinister in his smile.  
  
*  
  
Melanie awoke from her dream quickly and suddenly. Her forehead was sweaty and she was breathing heavily. She'd been having dreams like this for quite a while now.  
  
"What was that?" she asked herself. "Who were they?"  
  
"What's wrong?" Vash had woken up from her sudden gasps of breath.  
  
"Nothing, I just. had a dream. It was horrible. Just horrible."  
  
*  
  
Milly and Meryl had gotten up at about 6 o'clock that morning to get a head start on their day. They had been in June City for a day already and hadn't seen hide nor hair of Melanie or Vash. They were starting to get rather worried. Well, actually Milly was starting to get worried. Meryl seemed to think that they had gone on some wild goose chase led by a couple of liars. But that wasn't entirely true. They had bumped into each other later in the day.  
  
"Hello again Miss Milly!" Melanie smiled quickly at the tall girl. Milly turned around quickly and almost hit Vash in the head with her huge gun.  
  
While he caught his breath, they all reintroduced themselves and spoke amongst themselves for a while.  
  
"Where's Meryl?" Melanie asked.  
  
"She's in there. She's buying us water bottles. We're in for a long journey and we need out fluids!"  
  
"How're things going on your Vash hunt?" Vash broke in.  
  
"No such luck, although Meryl told me not to say much to anyone." As if on cue, Meryl exited the shop and headed over to them.  
  
"Hi Meryl!" Melanie called. Vash sweat dropped.  
  
"Oh no, here comes the bitch." he said to himself aloud. Apparently, he wasn't quiet enough.  
  
"What was that?!" She banged him on the head with a bottle. "C'mon Milly! We don't need that loser!"  
  
"Wait Meryl!" Melanie pleaded. "Would you mind if we traveled with you two? It's kind of lonely with just. him." She looked at Vash as if she were disgusted with him and winked so only he could see it.  
  
"Fine, whatever. Just don't tell anybody who we're looking for."  
  
"Don't worry, I won't!" She smiled.  
  
"She must be PMSing or something." Vash muttered under his breath and Melanie smacked him.  
  
"I didn't mean you!" he cried. Meryl turned around.  
  
"Oh! So you meant me!" She smacked him too. Melanie giggled.  
  
TBC.  
  
AN: Hmmm. I wonder what was happening in that dream. Wasn't it just sooooo obvious! Well, if you're slow, then. you're slow. Just kidding.  
  
I'll recap later, and you'll find out more about why Melanie's having these dreams. And no, she is NOT a plant before you ask.  
  
The next chapter is going to be mostly flashbacks, but not about Vash's past, it'll be about when Melanie and Vash first met. Not much Meryl and Milly, but the following chapters will have them, not to mention Knives (yes the psycho(well actually he's my second fav character, Vash is my first of course! Wait, I'm way off topic, aren't I?)) and, you guessed it, Wolfwood!!!!!! 


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